Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-86861-7 - The Cambridge Companion to Electronic Music Edited by Nick Collins and Julio d’Escrivan Frontmatter More information The Cambridge Companion to Electronic Music Musicians are always quick to adopt and explore new technologies. The fast-paced changes wrought by electrification, from the microphone via the analogue synthesiser to the laptop computer, have led to a wide diversity of new musical styles and techniques. Electronic music has grown to a broad field of investigation, taking in historical movements such as musique concrete` and elektronische musik, and contemporary trends such as electronic dance music and electronica. A fascinating array of composers and inventors have contributed to a diverse set of technologies, practices and music. This book brings together some novel threads through this scene, from the viewpoint of researchers at the forefront of the sonic explorations empowered by electronic technology. The chapters provide accessible and insightful overviews of core topic areas and uncover some hitherto less publicised corners of worldwide movements. Recent areas of intense activity such as audiovisuals, live electronic music, interactivity and network music are actively promoted. © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-86861-7 - The Cambridge Companion to Electronic Music Edited by Nick Collins and Julio d’Escrivan Frontmatter More information The Cambridge Companion to Electronic Music ............ edited by Nick Collins and Julio d’Escrivan´ © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-86861-7 - The Cambridge Companion to Electronic Music Edited by Nick Collins and Julio d’Escrivan Frontmatter More information cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao˜ Paulo, Delhi Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521688659 C Cambridge University Press 2007 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2007 Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library ISBN 978-0-521-86861-7 hardback ISBN 978-0-521-68865-9 paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-86861-7 - The Cambridge Companion to Electronic Music Edited by Nick Collins and Julio d’Escrivan Frontmatter More information Contents List of illustrations and figures [page vii] Notes on contributors [ix] Acknowledgements [xii] Chronology [xiv] Introduction Nick Collins and Julio d’Escriv´an [1] r Part I Electronic music in context 1 The origins of electronic music Andrew Hugill [7] 2 Electronic music and the studio Margaret Schedel [24] 3 Live electronic music Nicolas Collins [38] 4 A history of programming and music Ge Wang [55] Artists’ statements I: [72] Laurie Spiegel [72] Yasunao Tone [73] John Oswald [74] Mathias Gmachl (Farmer’s Manual) [75] Erdem Helvacioglu [76] Pauline Oliveros [76] Chris Jeffs [77] Rodrigo Sigal [77] Mira Calix [78] Denis Smalley [78] Seong-Ah Shin [82] Carsten Nicolai [82] Warren Burt [84] Max Mathews [85] r Part II Electronic music in practice 5 Interactivity and live computer music Sergi Jord`a [89] 6 Algorithmic composition Karlheinz Essl [107] 7 Live audiovisuals Amy Alexander and Nick Collins [126] 8 Network music Julian Rohrhuber [140] 9 Electronic music and the moving image Julio d’Escriv´an [156] [v] © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-86861-7 - The Cambridge Companion to Electronic Music Edited by Nick Collins and Julio d’Escrivan Frontmatter More information vi Contents 10 Musical robots and listening machines Nick Collins [171] Artists’ statements II: [185] Kevin Saunderson [185] Kanta Horio [185] Donna Hewitt [186] Alejandro Vi˜nao [186] Bubblyfish [188] Barry Truax [189] Lukas Ligeti (Burkina Electric) [191] Christina Kubisch [191] Murat Ertel [192] Adina Izarra [193] CybOrk [193] Francis Dhomont [194] David Behrman [195] Kevin Blechdom (Kristin Erickson) [196] Karlheinz Stockhausen [198] George E. Lewis [198] r Part III Analysis and synthesis 11 Computer generation and manipulation of sounds Stefania Serafin [203] 12 The psychology of electronic music Petri Toiviainen [218] 13 Trends in electroacoustic music Natasha Barrett [232] Notes [256] References [264] Index [280] © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-86861-7 - The Cambridge Companion to Electronic Music Edited by Nick Collins and Julio d’Escrivan Frontmatter More information Illustrations and figures 1.1 Russolo’s intonarumori [19] 1.2 Percy Grainger’s Kangaroo Pouch Machine (courtesy of The Percy Grainger Society/Estate) [21] 1.3 Le Corbusier, Iannis Xenakis, Edgard Varese:` Philips Pavilion, 1958 [22] 3.1 Live performance of Speaker Swinging at the Music Gallery, Toronto, 1987 [51] 4.1 A simple Max/MSP patch which synthesises the vowel ‘ahh’ [65] 4.2 The SuperCollider programming environment in action [67] 4.3 The ChucK programming language and environment [69] 4.4 slub in action (photo by Renate Wieser) [70] 5.1 Michel Waisvisz performs with The Hands (photo: Carla van Tijn) [101] 7.1 VJ Olga Mink (Oxygen) (photo: Mark Trash) [134] 8.1 The Wilmington based Tel-musici Company, from the 18 December 1909 issue of Telephony [141] 8.2 Flyer by Rich Gold for the network ensemble The League from 1978, showing the different types of musical data exchange [145] 8.3 Adapted from Shannon’s ‘schematic diagram of a general communication system’ (Shannon 1948) [148] 8.4 The network music ensemble The Hub, 1989 (top photo: Jim Block) and 2006 (bottom photo: Chianan Yen) [151] 8.5 Shared object [152] 8.6 Distributed object [153] 10.1 A schematic of Hsu’s system [176] 11.1 A simple analysis-transformation-synthesis representation based on spectral modelling [210] 11.2 The Karplus–Strong algorithm [213] 11.3 The exciter-resonator approach to physical modelling synthesis [214] 12.1 (a) Schematic presentation of the cochlea; (b) Excitation pattern of basilar membrane for high, medium, and low frequencies; [vii] (c) Auditory pathway; 1. Auditory nerve; 2. Cochlear nucleus; © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-86861-7 - The Cambridge Companion to Electronic Music Edited by Nick Collins and Julio d’Escrivan Frontmatter More information viii List of illustrations and figures 3. Superior olive; 4. Lateral lemniscus; 5. Inferior colliculus; 6. Thalamus; 7. Auditory cortex [220] 12.2 (a) Interaural Time Difference. The distance from the sound source (black circle) to the right ear is d = r θ + r sin θ longer than to the left ear, where r denotes the radius of the head and θ the azimuth of the sound source. (b) Interaural Level Difference. Head shadowing reduces the intensity of the sound arriving to the right ear [221] 12.3 (a) Grouping by proximity. A slow sequence of tones with alternating frequencies (left) is perceived as a single stream; the same sequence played twice as fast is perceived as two separate streams; (b) Grouping by common fate. A collection of partials with no frequency modulation is perceived as a single tone (left); when frequency modulation is introduced, tones with similar FM pattern are grouped together, resulting in a percept of three separate tones (right); (c) Principle of ‘old-plus-new heuristic’. Two frequency slides are perceived as separate tones (left); when a tone burst is played between the slides, they are perceived as a single tone [225] 12.4 Response of a resonating oscillator bank to an excerpt from the Scottish folk melody ‘Auld Lang Syne’: a) waveform; b) output of an onset detector; c) outputs of resonating oscillators; d) summed output of all oscillators [230] © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-86861-7 - The Cambridge Companion to Electronic Music Edited by Nick Collins and Julio d’Escrivan Frontmatter More information Notes on contributors Amy Alexander is Assistant Professor of Visual Arts at the University of California, San Diego. Her artwork spans the fields of digital media art and audiovisual performance and has been presented on the Internet, in clubs and on the street, as well as in festivals and museums. Her projects include The Multi-Cultural Recycler (1996), theBot (2000), CueJack (2001), CyberSpaceLand (2003), Scream (2005) and SVEN: Surveillance Video Entertainment Network (2006). She is also a co-founder of the Runme.org software art repository and is active in curating and writing about software art. Natasha Barrett (UK 1972) works as a freelance composer and performer of acous- matic and live electroacoustic music. Her compositional output consists of works for instruments and live electronics, sound installations, dance, theatre, and ani- mation projects, but all energy stems from